Curiosity
by Miss-Clockworks
Summary: They say curiosity killed the cat..but what did it do to the dog demon? A story told through drabbles and one shots of how a demon lord came to know a certain young miko. SessKag
1. Prologue

I'm still in the middle of my main fanfic, but this possibility was calling out to me :) This chapter is longer than the rest will be, simply because its the prologue. I intend for each to be 500 words or less! In each chapter our favorite demon lord will learn something about Kagome's time, and about Kagome herself, and in turn Kagome will become stronger and closer to Sesshomaru. So I hope you like it!

And now......_Curiosity _

Prologue: At First...

Kagome had given up.

It had been a week already since the two packs: Sesshomaru's and Inuyasha's; had melded together into a sort of reluctant alliance. Rin and Ah Un were social enough, and Jaken was his usual infuriating self, but the stoic lord had done nothing to suggest he even acknowledged her existence.

It was...unsettling, to say the least. Kagome was the type that enjoyed finding a friend in others, even someone as ruthless as Sesshomaru, but the imposing demon was not willing to cooperate on that front. In fact, she was sure he held a special distaste for her already.

Kicking a rock from the forest path Kagome groaned. She couldn't blame him. She was clumsy and cumbersome at best, and even though her purification powers had improved with time, ever since the daiyoukai's arrival she had made a habit of getting in his way during battle.

So, it was safe to say she did a little more than simply unnerve him. All of Kagome's hopes for an amiable relationship with the inuyoukai were swept downstream once she found herself on the receiving end of his glare yesterday. It definitely promised retribution.

She sighed. _It's probably taking all those centuries of endurance training not to skin me alive! _Kagome couldn't hide her cringe at the idea of being on the receiving end of Tokijin. Her mind continued to wander on as she returned to camp from her morning trip to the nearby stream. Inuyasha's gruff shouts of "Hurry it up wench! We're wasting time!" were being drowned out with a skillfulness that only came with time.

Hmmm...what else had she done? Well, she had stepped on Sesshomaru's fluffy boa...thing a dozen times already. She had tripped onto him over upturned roots, mud puddles, rocks, rocks _in_ mud puddles; she had even tripped on nothing a few times! The demon lord must have some sort of gravitational pull that only applied to awkward mikos not accustomed to rocky terrain. There were no words that could express her guilt when she got mud on his pristine white kimono sleeve. It had gotten so bad, even _Inuyasha _was teasing her about how much his half-brother loathed her presence and avoided her like the plague! By that afternoon, it was almost an absolute truth in Kagome's mind that the Gods were trying to put her in an early grave.

So you could imagine her surprise when he spoke to her that evening. Even crazier, he asked her a _question._ A question!

She had been pulling out supplies from her bag frantically. Her favorite grapefruit body wash had gone missing, and she _never_ bathed without it. Not once did she give thought to the newcomers in the group who had never seen such things, or even knew about the well to begin with.

Rin's eyes widened like saucers, and her mouth opened to let out a string of questions in rapid succession. Jaken attempted to do battle with the foreign objects that she threw over her shoulder; all this to protect his precious lord, no doubt.

But Kagome did turn around when a tall, ominous shadow blocked her vision of what was in her bag. She was about to turn and give the impatient hanyou a piece of her mind, when a familiar, but unwelcome shiver went up her spine.

Something just told her that this wasn't Inuyasha.

Turning slightly to face him, she plastered on a shaky smile. "Y-Yes, Lord Sesshomaru?"

Mind you, she was no longer breathing at this point.

The daiyoukai crouched down to her eye level and raised a clawed hand gracefully, moving it in her direction. Kagome flinched, and when she felt the brush of a claw on her ear she shut her eyes. _He's lost his patience I bet! Looks like this is the end Kagome! _

The silence was broke by a rich baritone, much louder than she had expected.

"Miko, where did you obtain such a peculiar scroll?

Kagome scrunched her brows together in confusion before slowly opening her lids.

"A scroll? W-Wha?....Oh! You mean my calculus textbook?" She looked to the left to find her giant school book grasped in his hand, hovering just in her periphery. Without thinking she grabbed it and started leafing through the pages. "It's my summer homework this year. It had to take extra classes to get more credits."

The raised brow told her he had no clue what she was talking about, and that it was _her_ fault somehow.

"What is...calculus?"

For the first time the miko noticed the perplexed look on his face. She closed the book and regarded him suspiciously.

"Why the sudden interest if you don't mind me asking?"

Sesshomaru straightened and sent her a haughty glance before looking away with a huff.

"Can this Sesshomaru not be curious?"

Kagome chuckled. "Well you're not a cat....so I guess you're safe." Realizing her mistake she brought her hands to her lips. _Me and my big mouth! _

The demon lord leveled his gaze on her at that comment. "Why would this Sesshomaru be a feline? What nonsense are you spouting now miko? Now you will tell this Seshomaru about this...calculus."

Kagome got up from her kneeling position and dusted of her skirt. "Sorry, sometimes I forget to think before I speak. Don't worry about it, just ignore me!" She began walking toward her sleeping bag when she felt herself falling. _Shit! What did I trip over this time?! _

When the cool grass did not scratch at her face, Kagome opened her closed eyes to find herself being righted again by a frustrated Sesshomaru. He scoffed. "How like a newborn foal you are, miko. You cannot even navigate through a forest."

Kagome sighed, but her eyes lit up as an idea came to her. Picking up the troublesome textbook she held it out to him. "Tell you what. I'll tell you all about calculus, and anything else you wish to know about my time if _you_ train me. Deal?"

Golden eyes flickered with surprise. He took the book from her. "You are willing to learn the art of combat?"

Kagome stuck her nose in the air. "Are you curious about the future?"

Sesshomaru spared a glance around the camp, and his half-brothers suspicious glare did not go unnoticed. The demon lord smirked every so slightly.

"We start at dawn, miko. Do not be late."

The young woman beamed.

The hanyou scowled.

And Sesshomaru felt very pleased indeed.

_Hn. This shall be interesting. _


	2. Chapter 1: Tyrannical Teachings

Chapter 2: Tyrannical Teachings 

Anxiety acted as Kagome's time-keeper, and she was up well before dawn the next day.

But that didn't mean she wasn't completely _exhausted._ She was cranky, and hungry, and she had the most horrible case of bed head to deal with. But she was ready by the time dawn arrived.

Kagome followed the daiyoukai's aura to a clearing nearby, her backpack filled to the brim. Grinning when she saw the white speck in a sea of green, she ran to him expectantly. _I admit, teaching Sesshomaru and seeing that look of confusion on his face makes the inevitable pain I agreed to totally worth it. _

"Miko, if you wish to train this day or any other day with this Sesshomaru, you must stop such foolishness and be serious." He sheathed his Tokijin with a scowl.

Kagome glared at him, chest heaving from exertion. "W-What? Hello? I _am _being serious!"

The demon lord looked incredulous. "Surely you do not think that is the proper way to hold a sword? And your stance resembles a duck, not a warrior, correct it."

Kagome growled, earning her a raised brow, and threw Tenseiga on the ground. Wiping the sweat out of her eyes, she stomped a foot and threw her arms down at her sides. "Okay look pal, how do you expect me to carry this sword properly?! It weighs a ton! Maybe _you_ can carry an elephant into battle without breaking a sweat, but I'm mortal in case that escaped your notice! And it didn't help that we ran for an hour and did warm ups for another one!"

Growling Sesshomaru stepped to her, his glare making the woman regret her outburst. "Mind your tone miko. That is not how one addresses their teacher. This Sesshomaru does not intend to coddle you like a pup. Get up and resume your training."

Kagome flopped to the ground. "I think it's time for a break. Please? It's time I fulfilled my half of the bargain anyway."

The demon lord intended to protest. The miko could not just _decide_ what they were doing! But the object she pulled from her bag grabbed his attention, and training was forgotten.

"So this device is a...calculator, correct?"

Kagome nodded. "I need it to solve math problems. Well I don't _need_ it, but it takes too long to do most of them by hand. See, look. Five plus five is ten!" She gave him the calculator so he could see for himself.

"What sorcery gives this device perfect logic? How can it count without error?" Sesshomaru pressed a few buttons. "Four thrice is...twelve. How does it deduct such truths?" The demon lord inspected it carefully, eventually succeeding in pulling out the batteries. Kagome giggled at the demon lord's surprise.

"Those are batteries, they make the calculator work. They give it energy, like food. See? It can't count anymore." She pressed random buttons to show him.

Sesshomaru blinked in disbelief, flicking a tendril of hair over his shoulder to inspect the device more carefully. "Hn."

That's when Kagome got an idea.

"Ooohh, let's see if we can guess how many strands of hair you have!"

Sesshomaru scoffed. "Surely you jest?" The look of wonder in her eyes told him otherwise. He shook his head. "Only you would indulge in something so childish."

That did not however, stop the demon lord from looking over her shoulder as she pressed the numbers.

Kagome raised the calculator in triumph. "Aha! I bet I figured it out! You have somewhere around 8,789 stands of hair!" Turning to him expectantly, she stopped short at his smug look.

"Sesshomaru?"

The daiyoukai smirked. "That is incorrect. I had the servants in my castle count them two moons ago, there were 10,012."

Kagome just stared at him before collapsing with laughter. "Childish indulgences my lord?" He growled, but it soon became a smirk again.

"This Sesshomaru also does not tolerate error miko. You will calculate the difference on that device between your answer and the correct one. That is how many push ups you must do before you can leave." He began walking toward a felled tree in the distance where he would rest while she finished.

Kagome's eyes bulged. "Y-You can't be serious!" He spun on his heel. "When have I ever been otherwise?" Her jaw dropped. "B-But, I was pretty close for a guess! It's not that far off!"

His smirk grew wider and more sadistic. "Then you will have no trouble making up the difference." He turned to leave with a smug look on his face.

Kagome paled. She punched the numbers in and gasped. She yelled after him frantically.

"You're joking right Sesshomaru? That's 1,223 push ups!"

.........

"Haha, you can't seriously expect me to....Sesshomaru you were just kidding right?"

"Sesshomaru!"


	3. Chapter 2: Bubbly Banter

A/N: I told you all 500 words or less? Scratch that. Haha, lets make it less than 1,000 hm? That I can manage.

Chapter 2: Bubbly Banter 

Kagome ached.

She ached in places she hadn't known existed, and it was all because of _some arrogant, heartless, sadistic...argh!_

Shuffling to her bag she gathered her bathing supplies, her quiver and her bow and headed toward the nearby hot spring. _Oohhh, I need a soak ASAP. I feel like I've run a marathon! _

"Hmm...maybe that's because, I dunno, I actually _did_ run a marathon?"

Apparently Sesshomaru wasn't joking about the 1,223 push ups. No, she didn't have to do all the push ups, but she had to divide the number up between her exercises.

As he slumbered, Inuyasha's ears twitched in response to her movement, but the half demon was used to Kagome's nightly soaks and didn't move a muscle. Sesshomaru however, was not used to this. So guess who followed her?

Just guess.

Golden eyes glowed from within the darkness of the surrounding forest. "Miko."

Kagome screamed, covering up her chest reflexively, even though there was a towel hiding her from the prying eyes of the daiyoukai. "Kami in heaven! Lord Sesshomaru? You sacred me half to death creeping around like that! Um.....W-Why are you here?"

The demon lord only winced when she screeched at him, but the scowl he wore and the glare he sent her told the miko he was not happy with her tone.

"It is not safe for you to be out here unattended," he scolded. "There are many demons lurking in this forest just waiting for you to be left defenseless. What sane being traverses the forests at this time of night?"

Kagome stuck her nose in the air. "E-Excuse you? For your information I am perfectly safe. Inuyasha is keeping watch like always."

Sesshomaru scoffed. "Hn. Was that supposed to reassure this Sesshomaru? Surely you know by now that Inuyasha is an imbecile."

Kagome glared at him. "So it must run in the family then?" She immediately regretted her words, but it was too late. She saw it coming and threw her hands up in defense, splashing soap everywhere.

Sesshomaru had Tokijin to her throat in a millisecond. "Do not insult this Sesshomaru or the bloodline of the Great Inu no Taisho again miko, or those words will be last to pass your lips."

Kagome muttered out a "Sorry, sorry, that was overkill", but seemed more preoccupied with rubbing her eyes.

Lowering his sword but raising his brow, Sesshomaru peered into her hidden face. "Miko, look up."

Kagome slowly lowered her hands and looked up at him, but her eyes were red and puffy; and they had tears in them. Sesshomaru looked disgusted. "Do not cry."

Kagome growled and rubbed her eyes out again before dunking under the water. "I'm not crying ok? Ugh! There's shampoo in my eye!"

Sesshomaru tilted his head slightly. "Sham...poo."

Kagome shook her head, knowing this was the way he liked asking questions. "It's used to make my hair nice and clean; and so it will smell pretty. But I love my bubble bath the most! It's pink grapefruit, my favorite!" She gushed in a very girlish manner.

The absence of a scathing remark told Kagome that Sesshomaru had lost track of what she was talking about long ago, and was now covering it up by pretending like he had ignored her. _What a little brat!_

Seeing he had lost interest, she took a handful of her bubble bath and worked it into suds in her palm. Lifting her palm up to her chin, Kagome blew the bubbles in the demon lord's direction, all the while giggling mischievously.

When a floating bubble crossed his vision, Sesshomaru examined it closely before attempting to touch it. Of course it immediately popped, slightly startling him.

"Hn."

Kagome rolled her eyes. _So basically that 'hn' meant: Kagome, I actually don't know what bubbles are and I would love it if you explained them? What a way with words he has! _

She smirked knowingly. "For your highnesses information they're called bubbles. They're what come out of soap that's used to clean with. In my time, children blow bubbles as entertainment too. I'll have to bring some back for you.

Sesshomaru looked insulted. "And whatever for? Does this Sesshomaru look like a human child to you?"

Kagome giggled as she rinsed the suds off of her body. "Everyone needs to loosen up and act like they're five every once in a while!"

The daiyoukai lifted an eyebrow. "A lord does not act like he is five, what kind of ruler would do such a thing?"

Kagome looked pensive. "I think...I think that a ruler should put himself in the position of those he rules over. Because otherwise, how can he or she understand them and govern them properly?"

Sesshomaru shook his head. "To think like a commoner is not the job of any lord, that is ridiculous. For the comman man to rule? No matter the species there would surely be chaos."

Kagome barked out a laugh. "Well, I can tell you won't get a kick out of democracy then!"

Sesshomaru tilted his head slightly. "Democracy."

She wagged her finger in his direction as she stood up from the water and pulled the towel tighter around herself. "I'm afraid that's a concept for another day. Now would you be so kind as to turn around so I can change?"

Sesshomaru smirked slightly. "Hmmm...this Sesshomaru recalls many young demons at the age you humans consider five peeking in on the bathing women. Should I not indulge in your advice to act as such?"

Kagome turned ten shades of red. "W-What? You pervert! That's hardly what I meant! Wait...did you just make a joke?.....My Kami, it's a miracle! B-But that's not the point! Shoo!" She motioned for him to leave. And he did.

And it took Kagome a good ten minutes to realize he had taken something with him.

"W-What? I can't believe this! They're gone!"

She screamed to the skies in fury. "That bastard took my shampoo_ and_ my body wash!"


End file.
